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The Soltis Principle

Gibraltar Masters 2019
Caleta Hotel, Gibraltar
Jan. 22-31, 2019

Final Top Standings

1. GM Vladislav Artemiev RUS 2709, 8.5/10

2. GM Murali Karthikeyan IND 2570, 8.0/10

3-5. GM Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2720, GM David Howell ENG 2685, GM David Anton Guijarro ESP 2642, 7.5/10

6-22. David Navara CZE 2738, GM Nils Grandelius SWE 2682, GM Lalith Babu MR IND 2547, GM Le Quang Liem VIE 2714, GM Ivan Saric CRO 2690, GM Wesley So USA 2765, GM Yu Yangyi CHN 2764, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2780, GM Michael Adams ENG 2701, GM Kirill Alekseenko RUS 2637, GM Hikaru Nakamura USA 2749, GM Romain Edouard FRA 2643, GM Rauf Mamedov AZE 2703, GM Pavel Eljanov UKR 2680, GM Hrant Melkumyan ARM 2660, GM Maxim Matlakov RUS 2700, GM Tan Ahongyi CHN 2502, 7.0/10

Ave. Rating 2753 Category 21
Time Control: 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 50 minutes for the next 20 moves, followed by 15 minutes for the rest of the game with 30 seconds added to your time after every move starting move 1
This is a continuation of our coverage of the 2019 Gibraltar Masters tournament, won by two 20 year-olds, Vladislav Artemiev at 1st and Karthikeyan Murali at 2nd.
Wesley So was the tournament third seed but finished in 11th place with five wins, four draws and a loss to the Swedish GM Nils Grandelius. This was in keeping with the overall mediocre performance of the big names in Gibraltar. Wesley was actually the highest placed among the top 5 seeds: No. 1 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave finished in 13th place, no. 2 Levon Aronian was in 24th place, no. 4 Yu Yangyi was just behind Wesley at 12th place and 5th seed Hikaru Nakamura was 16th.
Wesley’s opponent in the last round is GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac of Romania. Deac is a chess prodigy, born 8 October 2001, he earned his grandmaster title at the age of 14 years, seven months and 27 days, which is just a few months shy of Wesley’s record of 14 years, one month and 20 days.
How do you play against chess prodigies? Let me quote GM Andy Soltis from “Confessions of a Grandmaster:” “As each year passes, new kids will readily appear on the scene equipped with the obviously unfair advantage of (a) having more energy than you, and (b) having seen all your bad games of the past. As a (rapidly) aging master, I can offer some advice. You can avoid a lot of trouble by taking great pains to humiliate the new generation whenever possible over the board. And as often as you can. Arthur Bisguier made the mistake of allowing a draw with Bobby Fischer in their second game. Bobby had forfeited on time in a hopeless position in their first and seemed suitably cowed after that. But after their second game ended in a draw, the psychology was no longer working against Fischer, and he won the next 11 games they played.”

So, Wesley (2765) — Deac, Bogdan-Daniel (2603) [E53]
Gibraltar Masters 2019 Caleta (10), 31.01.2019

1.c4 Nf6 2.d4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0 — 0 5.Bd3 d5 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 c5 9.Nf3 Qc7 10.Be2 b6 11.0 — 0 Bb7 12.Bb2 Rd8
The alternative 12…Nbd7 has a good score for Black. The idea is to prepare to swing the two knights to the kingside. Here is an example: 13.c4 Rac8 14.Rc1 Rfd8 15.Qb3 Ng4 16.g3 (16.h3? Bxf3!) 16…Ngf6 17.Rfd1 Ne4 18.Ne1 Carlsen, M (2837)-Anand, V (2782) Riadh 2017 0 — 1 34. This was played during the World Rapid Championship of that year. Writing after the game Anand remarked here that he missed the strong continuation: 18…Ndf6! with the follow-up …h7 — h5. White cannot shoo the knight away with 19.f3? because of 19…Nxg3! 20.hxg3 Qxg3+ 21.Kf1 Nh5! and wins.
13.c4 cxd4 14.exd4 Nc6 15.Bd3 Ne7 16.Re1 Ng6 17.Ne5 Nf4 18.Bf1 Ng6 19.Bd3 Nf4 20.Bf1 Ng6
A tacit draw offer, but Wesley does not accept based on the “Soltis principle.”
21.Nxg6 hxg6 22.a4 Bc6 23.Ra3!
Swinging his rook over to the kingside.
23…Qf4 24.Qe2 Rac8 25.h3 Qd6
Black should have seriously considered taking out the bishop on f1 with 25…Ne4 followed by …Nd2.
26.a5 Rb8 27.Re3
With the threat of 28.d5 exd5 29.Be5, winning the exchange, which explains Black’s next move.
27…Qd7 28.Re5
The intention is to push his h-pawn to h5.
28…Rdc8 29.h4 Re8 30.axb6 axb6 31.h5 Nxh5 <D>
POSITION AFTER 31…NXH5
32.Rxh5! gxh5 33.Qxh5
Wesley’s follow-up is Re1 — e3 — h3.
33…f5 34.Re3 Qf7 35.Qh2
[35.Qh4 Qf6 allows Black to reposition her queen to a better square at no cost of time]
35…Qf6 36.Bc3
With the idea of d4 — d5.
36…f4?
It is hard to see, but Black’s best line is 36…Be4! the point here is that 37.d5 (37.f3 Bc2 does not accomplish anything) 37…e5 38.Qh5 (38.f3 is refuted by 38…b5! 39.fxe4 Qb6! the tables have turned) 38…Qf7 39.Qe2 b5! Both sides have chances.
37.Re5!
The move Black should not have allowed.
37…Qg6 38.Rh5 Qe4 39.Rh8+ Kf7 40.Rh4 Kg8
[40…g5 41.Rh7+ Kg8 42.Rh6! and Qh5 is fatal for Black]
41.Rh8+ Kf7 42.Rh4 Kg8 43.Rxf4 Qc2 44.Qg3 Rb7 45.Rg4 Ree7 46.Bd3 Qc1+ 47.Kh2 Be8 48.d5! exd5 49.Qh3 Re4 50.Bxe4 dxe4 51.Rh4 1 — 0
After 51.Rh4 White is threatening Qe6+ with forced mate. If Black tries to prevent that with 51…Bd7 then (51…Re7 52.Rh8+ Kf7 53.Qf5#) 52.Rh8+ Kf7 53.Qh5+ Ke7 54.Qe5+ Be6 55.Qxg7+.
GM Karthikeyan Murali covered himself with glory by coming in 2nd. He started off slowly with 2 draws followed by 2 wins, a loss to GM Hikaru Nakamura and then finished with 5 straight wins, the last three of which against 2700+ GMs. By the way, he is a Tamil — they have no concept of “surnames” or “family names.” Murali is his father’s name and so we should refer to him by his given name, which is Karthikeyan. The most famous Tamil chessplayer in the world is Viswanathan Anand — similarly, his given name is Anand and Viswanathan is his father’s name.
This might be confusing to some. There are 16 other Tamil GMs, including famous names are Baskaran Adhiban (use Adhiban), Krishnan Sasikiran (given name is Sasikiran), Ramachandran Ramesh (the famous GM and coach — his first name is Ramesh) and many others. The only one whose name is not confusing is Sethuraman Sethuraman — you can take your pick which name you are going to use!
Karthikeyan’s chess is deadly accurate. He goes into the most critical lines and does not make mistakes. The “Frenchman with two names” learned this the hard way when he took his opponent for granted.

Karthikeyan, Murali (2570) — Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime (2780) [B90]
Gibraltar Masters 2019 Caleta Gibraltar (10.2), 31.01.2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Bg3 Bg7 10.Be2 h5 11.h4 Nc6 12.Nf3 gxh4 13.Bxh4 Qa5 14.Qd2 Be6 15.Rd1 Rc8 16.0 — 0 Rg8 17.Nd5 Qxd2 18.Rxd2 Bh6
[18…Bxb2? 19.Rb1 Black’s position is very dangerous. If the bishop retreats with 19…Bg7 then 20.Rxb7 Bf8 21.Nc7+ Kd8 22.Nxe6+ fxe6 23.Rxd6+ Ke8 24.Rdd7 White is clearly winning]
19.Rdd1 f6 20.c3 Bg5?
Karthikeyan thinks this was the key mistake of the game. He was hoping for the exchange of bishops but White does not oblige.
21.Bg3! Bh6
The bishop was looking silly at g5 and so MVL brings it back to h6. In the meantime the square h4 is now avaiable for White’s knight.
22.Nh4! Kf7 23.Nf5
Threatening Bxg4 followed by Nxh6.
23…Bxf5 24.exf5 Rg5 25.Bc4 Na5 26.Bd3 Rcg8 27.Bf4 R5g7 28.Rfe1 Nc6 29.Be4 h4
Black is trying to complicate the position but he keeps making it worse for himself.
30.f3 Bxf4
Forced, because of 30…Nge5 31.Bxh6
31.Nxf4
The g4 — knight is still attacked but now comes a new threat, Bd5+
31…Nge5 32.Bd5+
Wins the exchange and it is enough for Karthikeyan to push for the win.
32…Ke8 33.Bxg8 Nxf3+
[33…Rxg8 34.Kf2 Kf7 35.Nd5 the Black h4 — pawn will fall]
34.Kf2 Nxe1 35.Bd5 Rg5
There is nowhere for the knight to go. 35…Nc2 36.Rc1.
36.Kxe1 Rxf5 37.Ng6 Rh5 38.Rd3 Rh6 39.Nf4 e5 40.Ne6 Ne7 41.Bxb7 Kd7 42.Nf8+ Kc7 43.Bxa6 d5 44.c4 f5 45.Bb5 f4 46.Ra3 1 — 0
There were 26 Indians in Gibraltar. You know that the Indian chess boom will continue when you hear that there will be 33 Indians (29 players and three officials) who will be travelling to the super-powerful Aeroflot Open in Moscow on Feb. 18, 2019 sponsored by the Government of India to cover plane fare, accommodations and even a per diem allowance.
Now what can the Philippines say to that?
 
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
bobby@cpamd.net

Trade circus

Given the justifiably aggressive stance the Lakers have taken in trying to pry All-Star Anthony Davis away from the Pelicans, it’s fair to wonder how all the chatter affects those who wear the purple and gold. The players have been asked numerous times, to be sure, and, outwardly, they’re giving all the right answers. It’s part of the business, they note, and, at the end of the day, they will continue to have gainful employment. A few even go so far as to seemingly welcome inclusion in trade talks, arguing it to be a reflection of value.
In truth, everyone is affected when the future becomes hazy. Even those who have been around long enough to acknowledge the ins and outs of the multi-billion-dollar enterprise also known as the National Basketball Association suffer from bouts of anxiety, and not always due to practical considerations. And the situation is magnified heading into the trade deadline, when franchises look to improve rosters at the expense of erstwhile regulars in a race against time. Even operations — and those plying their trade for organizations — in small markets aren’t spared.
Imagine, then, how the circus appears to relative newcomers who are suddenly thrust in the limelight as pawns in a high-stakes chess match. Even as their potential, or lack thereof, is scrutinized from every conceivable angle, they are compelled to steel themselves for changes in their lives. And because these changes figure to happen in the middle of the season, little to no preparation is afforded them. They could wind up far from families, be forced to make new friends, require virtually nomadic routines. In light of their plight, they cannot but be unnerved — with the air of uncertainty casting a shadow on them on the court and off.
Which, in a nutshell, was why the Lakers were blown off the court yesterday. They were supposed to be heading into a veritable cakewalk, what with top dog LeBron James back in action and the Pacers missing cornerstone Victor Oladipo. Instead, they proved flat from the outset and could not summon even a modicum of competitiveness en route to a 42-point setback, the worst ever in the 16-year career of the four-time Most Valuable Player. For all their supposed fire coming after a loss against the Warriors (one that prompted an animated postgame locker-room discussion), they were listless and only too willing to go through the motions.
How the Lakers will emerge from the trade deadline remains to be seen. So far, though, it’s not a pretty sight. Top management has become frustrated with the Pelicans’ evidently lukewarm reception to overtures that already involve everybody outside of James. Head coach Luke Walton is under heavy fire as the last vestige of the previous dispensation. The players are wallowing in dismay; after basking under the klieg lights of glitz and glamour, anything else pales in comparison. And their Number One recruit of the offseason is antsy, never mind public pronouncements of patience.
The end of the week should provide some clarity to those from the outside looking in. For the Lakers, it’s one or the other: They’ll be off to the races if they land Davis, and simply off if they don’t. Two surefire Hall of Famers on the roster will get them casting moist eyes on the hardware. Just one will require them to mend fences with those around him in order to salvage a disappointing outcome. The stakes are high, the mistakes are compounded, and time will tell if the reward’s worth the risk.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Peso climbs ahead of BSP meet

Peso Dollar
THE PESO rebounded ahead of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas meeting.

THE PESO recovered against the dollar on Wednesday ahead of likely upbeat signals from the central bank’s monetary policy meeting.
The local currency ended yesterday’s session at P52.235 versus the greenback, 17.5 centavos stronger than the P52.41-per-dollar finish last Monday.
The peso traded stronger the whole day, opening the session at P52.34 versus the greenback. It dropped to as low as P52.35 intraday before closing the session at its best showing.
Dollars traded declined to $746.4 million from the $842.9 million that switched hands the previous day.
A trader said the peso strengthened yesterday after market participants aggressively sold their dollars in favor of the peso near the close.
“The peso closed stronger as we saw a lot of selling ahead of the policy meeting of the BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas),” the foreign exchange trader said in a phone interview.
The BSP’s policy-setting Monetary Board (MB) is widely expected to keep its interest rates untouched during its review today at the 4.25-5.25% range, taking its cue from the dovish tone of US central bank officials as well as the softening local inflation.
On Tuesday, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that inflation stood slowed to 4.4% in January, slower than the 5.1% tallied in December.
“The market is expecting no change on the rate, but given the [slower] inflation, the message from the MB is seen to support the peso,” the trader added.
However, the trader noted there was a “disconnect” from the peso’s strengthening given that the offshore market was buying dollars after onshore trading closed.
Meanwhile, another trader attributed the stronger peso to the softer-than-expected inflation report.
For today, the first trader expects the local currency to trade between P52.20 and P52.40, while the other gave a P52.10-P52.30 range.
Most other Asian currencies in the region remained subdued in holiday-thinned trade.
“The (emerging) markets are a lot more instinctive to bullishness after the Fed shifted its stance” said Jeffrey Halley, a senior market analyst at OANDA, Singapore. — K.A.N. Vidal with Reuters

Stocks drop on profit taking after inflation data

LOCAL EQUITIES slumped on Wednesday despite surging intraday, as investors earlier cheered the slower-than-expected January inflation print but eventually succumbed to profit taking.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) slipped 0.13% or 11.03 points to close at 8,058.45 yesterday, failing to sustain intraday gains which saw the main index rising to as high as the 8,200 level.
The broader all-shares index, meanwhile, ended nearly flat at 4,893.48, 0.01% or 0.94 point higher from the previous day.
“Looks like profit taking was the name of the game today as the index dove straight down, 155 points from its intraday high in fact, to close at 8,058.45. Index went up initially in the morning as the market welcomed January’s 4.4% inflation figure,” Papa Securities Corp. Sales Associate Gabriel Jose F. Perez said in an e-mail on Wednesday.
Investors initially cheered the better-than-expected inflation report for January, which saw the headline print slow to 4.4%. This is lower than the market consensus of 4.5%.
IB Gimenez Securities Research Head Joylin F. Telagen also noted that investors chose to cash in on gains at the market’s close after welcoming the lower inflation rate.
“After the non-trading day in celebration of Chinese New Year, investors are back and cheered the lower-than-expected inflation rate which might also lead for the BSP’s (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) first monetary meeting to keep interest rates unchanged,” Ms. Telagen said in a text message.
The BSP’s policy-setting Monetary Board will meet on Thursday for its first meeting of the year, where analysts expect rates to stay unchanged at the current range of 4.25-5.25%.
The counter for holding firms was the lone sub-index that ended with a loss, dropping 1.23% or 98.92 points to 7,931.10.
The rest went up, led by mining and oil which jumped 1.37% or 118.36 points to 8,739.30. Services gained 0.74% or 12.05 points to 1,620.51; financials climbed 0.74% or 13.62 points to 1,853.18; industrials went up 0.54% or 63.93 points to 11,799.38; while property firmed up 0.48% or 19.27 points to 4,001.55.
Foreign investors continued their buying spree with net purchases of P947.17 million, albeit lower than Monday’s P1.01-billion net inflow.
Some 2.84 billion issues valued at P7.32 billion switched hands, mostly unchanged from the previous session’s turnover.
Advancers were almost double the decliners, 140 to 76, while 42 names were unchanged.
Overseas, Wall Street indices advanced ahead of US President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address. The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 0.68% or 172.15 points to 25,411.52. The S&P 500 index rose 0.47% or 12.83 points to 2,737.70, while the Nasdaq Composite index added 0.74% or 54.55 points to 7,402.08. Asian indices mirrored Wall Street’s ascent, ending mostly higher on Wednesday. — Arra B. Francia

House Dengvaxia probe finds Aquino, others liable

By Charmaine A. Tadalan, Reporter
A JOINT House panel on Wednesday recommended charges against former president Benigno S.C. Aquino III and other officials in connection with the Dengvaxia controversy.
The House committees on good government and public accountability and on health, voting 14-4, had approved the report on their investigation on the purchase of the P3.5 billion worth of anti-dengue vaccines.
The report said Mr. Aquino, former budget secretary Florencio B. Abad and former health secretary Janette L. Garin, among others, should be held liable for graft and corruption, technical malversation, and grave misconduct.
“It is apparent that there was collusion among public officials to ensure that a large quantity of Dengvaxia vaccines would be purchased by the government for administration to schoolchildren,” the committees said in their report.
The panel was led by Surigao del Sur-2nd district Rep. Johnny Ty-Pimentel and later by Camiguin Rep. Xavier Jesus D. Romualdo.
Mr. Romualdo said the new draft report identified the concerned officials and specified their liabilities, as opposed to an earlier report.
“Actually hindi naman in-exonerate, hindi lang ni-name, hindi in-identify, so ‘yung conclusion dun sa first draft was…may finding ng liability against officials. Hindi lang in-identify ‘yung officials na ‘yun and kung anong ginawa nila to merit ‘yung liability na ‘yun,” Mr. Romualdo told reporters after the hearing. (Actually, the previous report did not exonerate them, it just didn’t name, or identify the officials; so the conclusion in the first draft was…there was a finding of liability against the officials. They were just not identified and the merit of those liability was not cited).
The report said Mr. Aquino is liable for authorizing the use of P3.5 billion in the purchase of the vaccines; Mr. Abad, for requesting authority to use savings; and Ms. Garin, for including the vaccines in the inoculation program.
Also among the respondents were physicians Maria Joyce U. Ducusin, Julius A. Lecciones, Kenneth Hartigan-Go, and members of the bids and awards committee of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.
Further, the report said Mr. Aquino and his officials authorized the procurement of the vaccines, despite their having no allocation in the 2015 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and the procurement’s non-inclusion in the Department of Health’s Expanded Immunization Program.
“Thus, (whereas) the President may be authorized by law to augment any item in the general appropriations with savings from other items, this power to augment necessitates an existing appropriation to be augmented,” the report stated. “Savings cannot be used to fund procurement…for which no appropriations have been made in the GAA.”
House panel members had also proposed to include among the respondents the concerned officials of Sanofi Pasteur and former health secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial for expanding coverage of the vaccine program.
For his part, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said “we defer to the House of Representatives, belonging to a separate and co-equal branch of government, on its recommendation to file charges against officials of the previous administration and other private individuals over the government’s suspended dengue vaccination program.”
Mr. Aquino faces several complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman as well as the Commission on Elections, in connection with election spending. Ms. Garin so far faces 32 complaints before the Department of Justice.

US policies under Trump to impact on PHL — analysts

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
ON THE heels of US President Donald J. Trump’s second State of the Union address, analysts sought for comment on Wednesday said trade ties between the US and China, stricter US immigration policy, and Mr. Trump’s upcoming second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jung-on in Vietnam will have a direct impact on the Philippines.
Mr. Trump delivered his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Feb. 5, emphasizing his administration’s intention to address illegal immigration by renewing his call for a wall along the southern US border. He also cited his summit with Mr. Kim as part of his administration’s mission to “push for peace” in the Korean Peninsula.
The US President also said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping are “working on a new trade deal.”
“But it must include real structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs,” Mr. Trump said.
Richard J. Heydarian, nonresident fellow of Stratbase ADR Institute, said in a phone interview that Mr. Trump’s immigration policy will have “the most direct impact” on the Philippines.
“It is because if the Trump administration continues its increasingly restrictive policy and if it continues its crackdown on illegal immigrants residing in the US, that will inevitably have a direct impact on hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who are there under questionable legal status or millions of Filipinos who wish to be naturalized or immigrate to the United States,” Mr. Heydarian said.
Also sought for comment, political history assistant professor Marlon B. Lopez of the Mindanao State University-Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography said in a phone message: “The Philippines should always ensure that Filipinos in the US have proper documentation; and in case of illegal entry, the Philippines should look for their welfare while awaiting any US government move.”
In a phone interview, University of Santo Tomas (UST) political science professor Marlon M. Villarin said Mr. Trump’s policy announcements are “indicators that the United States has become more conservative.”
“Filipino immigrants in the US will definitely be affected, especially the job opportunities for those who are seeking a greener pasture in the US — the interests of the Filipino immigrants there. Even the tourism relationship will somehow be gravely affected.”
Mr. Villarin added that what the Philippine government should do is “to really anticipate the possible consequences” of Mr. Trump’s policy remarks. But he also noted this will depend on how the US Congress responds to Mr. Trump’s speech.
Ateneo Policy Center research fellow Michael Henry L. Yusingco said in an e-mail that, “for the moment, these policy announcements may not warrant any urgency, but the volatility of the US President demands that our government must be ready for any and all contingencies.”
“Obviously, the challenge for our government is navigating through all of these policy changes and formulating an appropriate response,” he added.
Mr. Yusingco also said the Philippine government “must give more attention to those involving Asia such as the Summit with North Korea, the withdrawal from Syria, Afghanistan, the Iran nuclear deal, and more crucially, the aggressive trade negotiations with Beijing.”
“For instance, the US’ trade issues with China have had some negative impact on us; however, it can also offer opportunities as well. Our economic managers must therefore determine what these opportunities are and react accordingly. It is obviously not as easy as it sounds, nonetheless, we should expect our government to be following this line of thinking,” he said further.
Mr. Heydarian said that if the US and China will not be able to strike a trade deal, there will be “relocations” of Western investments from China to Southeast Asian countries. “Countries like Vietnam have been benefiting from that,” he said.
He also noted that the Philippines “will, of course, suffer if there is an all-out trade war” between the two economies “because it will raise consumer prices globally.”
Under President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s administration, Mr. Heydarian also said, the Philippines “has been putting a lot of its eggs in the Chinese basket.”
“The thing is that we already saw last year that China’s economy is much more vulnerable than we thought. Their growth is decelerating significantly, especially based on the informal estimates, not the government estimates,” he said.
China’s economy at present “will have an immediate impact in terms of China’s investments in the Philippines and also on the arrival of Chinese tourists,” Mr. Heydarian said further.
Mr. Lopez said: “Overseas Filipino workers and skilled Filipinos whose line of jobs (belongs) to the affected sectors should beef up their capabilities so that they can cope up with stringent trade countermeasures such as stricter standards on labor employment to answer higher cost of export-import taxes.”
On Mr. Trump’s meeting with Mr. Kim in Vietnam, Mr. Heydarian said: “If the summit produces a long-term peace agreement, that will significantly contribute in terms of the broader regional security and that is something great for Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China.”
Mr. Heydarian added that if a peace deal is attained, it will also help South Korea “to become a much more freehanded and free-willing partner of the ASEAN and the Philippines,” adding that threats from North Korea have been “hampering” South Korea from actively playing a significant economic role in the region.
Mr. Lopez said the Philippine government “should balance its commitment to a closer relationship with China, which happens to be a close ally of the North Korean regime, (with) the traditionality of US-RP alliance.” He also said the matter “really revolves around China and its support for North Korea.”
“Cold war politics should be dealt with Cold war diplomacy. Never go very far from the center,” Mr. Lopez said.

Jolo bombing suspects charged

THE Provincial Prosecutor in Sulu on Wednesday charged before the regional trial court in Jolo five suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) linked to the Jan. 27 bombing of the Jolo Cathedral, an official from the Department of Justice (DoJ) said.
DoJ Undersecretary and Spokesperson Markk L. Perete said Mukamma L. Pae (who also goes by the name Kammah L. Pae), Albaji Kisae Gadjali, Rajan Bakil Gadjali, Kaisar Adjali, and Salit Alih were charged by Officer-in-Charge-Provincial Prosecutor Rommel Cancio with multiple murder with multiple frustrated murder.
“The evidence and witnesses necessary to prosecute the case are in Jolo. Hence, it would be more efficient to hold trial there unless compelling reasons exist for the transfer of trial to Manila. As of now, we have yet to receive any request from our prosecutor to effect such transfer,” Mr. Perete told reporters.
Mr. Perete on Feb. 4 said the Prosecutors’ Office in Sulu completed the inquest proceedings of the five suspects, following complaints by the Sulu Police Provincial Office, and submitted it for resolution.
He also said seven other identified suspects and several “John and Jane Does” remained at large.
Mr. Pae is believed by authorities to have aided an Indonesian couple linked to the suicide bombing of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Jolo, Sulu. He was also identified by the authorities as a member of the Ajang-Ajang faction of the Abu Sayyaf.
He surrendered to authorities amid a police operation over the weekend.
The Jan. 27 twin blasts claimed the lives of 23 people and wounded 95 others. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Senate approves CBCP’s broadcasting franchise

By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
THE Senate on Wednesday approved on third and final reading the bill extending for another 25 years the broadcasting franchise of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
House Bill No. 8155 was approved with 19 affirmative votes, zero negative vote, and no abstention. It was sponsored in the Senate plenary by Senator Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares, chair of the Senate committee on public services.
The bill seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7530, which extended the CBCP’s franchise for 25 years back in 1992. It was originally granted a franchise under Republic Act No. 5172 in 1967.
The measure allows the CBCP to operate “radio and/or television broadcasting stations in the Philippines.” The religious organization operates radio stations across the country through its Catholic Media Network arm.
The proposed bill provides that the franchise may be revoked if CBCP fails to operate continuously for two years. The Senate also added an amendment which requires the organization to inform Congress of any changes of ownership or controlling interests, failure of which to do so would lead to an “ipso facto” franchise revocation.
Other terms under its franchise was for the CBCP not to use its stations or facilities for “obscene or indecent transmission, or for the dissemination of deliberately false information or willful misrepresentation, or assist in subversive or treasonable acts.”
The CBCP is also directed to create employment opportunities and on-the-job trainings in their franchise operations.
An annual report of compliance with the terms and conditions of the franchise must also be submitted to Congress. The report is among the requirements before any application for permit or certification from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Businessman linked to drugs nabbed

THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested on Monday a businessman alleged to be the mediator in the smuggling of P6.4-billion worth of shabu which authorities discovered in Valenzuela City in May 2017.
The NBI on Wednesday presented before the media Dong Yi Shen, also known as Kenneth Dong, two days after his arrest in Muntinlupa City by the NBI-Anti-Organized and Transnational Crime Division, following the January 2018 warrant of arrest issued by Manila Regional Trial Court judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa.
Mr. Dong is charged by the Department of Justice in January 2018 for violation of Republic Act 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Also named respondents were former customs broker Mark Ruben G. Taguba II, Eirene Mae A. Tatad, Chen Ju Long (who also goes by the name Richard Tan), Li Guang Feng (who also goes by Manny Li), Tee Jay Marcellana, Chen I-Min, Jhu Ming Jhun, and Chen Rong Juan.
Mr. Dong said he had planned to surrender to authorities after the Chinese New Year on Feb. 5 but the NBI arrested him before that. He also maintained his innocence on the shabu importation.
“Actually kasi ganito po iyan. Si Mr. Mark Taguba, siya nag-offer ng customs brokerage service, and then nagpapahatid sa akin ng mga Chinese clients. So in short, binibigay ko sa kanya yung mga Chinese clients through Mr. Li. And beyond Mr. Li, yung mga kausap naman niya hindi ko naman kilala. Kasi I understand most of the business transaction(s) (are) compartmentalized,” he said.
(Actually it is like this. It’s Mr. Mark Taguba who offers customs brokerage service and then (I bring him) the Chinese clients. So in short, I bring him the Chinese clients through Mr. Li. And beyond Mr. Li, I don’t know the clients he’s talking to.)
On May 28, 2017, the Bureau of Customs seized 604 kilos of shabu at the Hong Fei Logistics warehouse in Valenzuela City.
Besides Mr. Dong, only Mr. Taguba and Ms. Tatad are in the custody of authorities. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Interior, Social Welfare chiefs, others confirmed

THE Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed Eduardo M. Año as the Interior Secretary, Rolando D. Bautista as Social Welfare Secretary, and Aileen A. Lizada as commissioner of the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
The three officials held previous government posts before being reappointed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte to their current portfolios.
Mr. Año previously headed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during the Marawi siege back in 2017 when government forces clashed with the terrorist Maute group. He was also the martial law administrator when the government declared martial law in Mindanao in 2017.
Following his retirement, Mr. Año was only designated as the officer-in-charge of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) due to the law barring retired or resigned military officers from being appointed as Secretary within one year of their retirement or resignation. He formally took the DILG Secretary post last November.
Mr. Bautista was the Philippine Army chief prior to his appointment as Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). He was chosen the Presidential Security Group (PSG) Commander at the onset of Mr. Duterte’s presidency in 2016. He was later assigned in Mindanao as the Commander of the 1st Infantry Division.
Mr. Año is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Matikas” class of 1983, while Mr. Bautista is from the “Sandiwa” class of 1985.
Ms. Lizada was among the board members of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) prior to her post in the CSC. She allegedly had a conflict with LTFRB chairman Martin B. Delgra III over the agency’s policies before being transferred by the President to the CSC.
Aside from the three government officials, the CA also approved the designation of Noel Eugene Eusebio M. Servigon as the Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Ma. Teresita C. Daza as the Philippine Ambassador to Chile, and Christopher B. Montero as Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam.
The appointments body also confirmed the promotion of 43 military officers. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

Rappler’s Ressa says ‘law has been weaponized’ after DoJ recommends cyber-libel case

THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) has recommended the filing of a cyber-libel case against Rappler, Inc., Chief Executive Officer Maria Angelita Ressa, and one of its reporters over an article published in 2012 in connection with businessman Wilfredo D. Keng.
In an eight-page resolution dated Jan. 10, the DoJ said Rappler, Ms. Ressa and Reynaldo Santos, Jr. violated Section 4(c)(4) of Republic Act No. 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 in the article.
“It is clearly defamatory,” the DoJ said.
“Under Article 354 of the Revised Penal Code, every defamatory imputation is presumed to be malicious, even if it be true, if no good intention and justifiable motive for making it is shown,” it added.
The case stemmed from a May 29, 2012 article titled “CJ Using SUVs of Controversial Businessman,” which reported that former chief justice Renato C. Corona, who passed away in 2016, used a vehicle registered under the name of Mr. Keng.
The article tackled Mr. Keng’s past, alleging that he was involved in illegal activities such as human trafficking and drug smuggling. It also stated that the businessman was involved in a murder case.
Mr. Keng said he asked Rappler in 2012 to take down the article, but his request was turned down, and the article was updated in February 19, 2014.
He filed a complaint before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in October 2017.
The DoJ said Rappler claimed that they cannot be charged with cyber-libel because the article was published four months before the law was enacted in Sept. 12, 2012.
In a statement yesterday, Ms. Ressa said, “This indictment is evidence that the law has been weaponized: the NBI’s own lawyers recommended the case be thrown out, and the prosecutors wrongly named me an editor.”
The prosecutors disputed Rappler’s argument, citing the Feb. 19, 2014 updated version of the article and the “multiple publication rule,” which states that “a single defamatory statement, if published several times, gives rise to as many offenses as there are publications.”
“Accordingly, we hold that the republication of the article as may have been modified or revised is a distinct and separate offense, for which the author, respondent Santos, should be prosecuted. Respondent Ressa, being the editor, should be included in the indictment,” the DoJ said.
The DoJ also said that the article does not fall under “any of the absolutely or qualifiedly privileged communications,” which are the circumstances where malice in law is not present.
Meanwhile, the complaint against respondents Manuel I. Ayala, Nico Jose Nolledo, Glenda M. Gloria, James Bitanga, Felicia Atienza, Dan Albert De Padua, and Jose Maria G. Holifeña were dismissed, noting that they had no participation in the writing and publication of the report. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Steel parts of Rockwell Bridge to be used for Bolinao link

THE METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have agreed to donate the steel components of the Estrella-Pantaleon (or Rockwell Bridge), which is up for replacement, to the Pangasinan provincial government for the construction of a bridge that will link the island town of Bolinao to the mainland. The agreement was discussed early this week in Malacañang, according to MMDA. The frames of the Rockwell Bridge will be used for the planned Santiago Bridge that will connect the seven barangays of Bolinao to the main island of Luzon. The project is expected to be completed by 2021. The Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge was closed last January for replacement with a bigger structure that will cater to more vehicles. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

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